Minnesota Twins: 5 best catching groups of all-time
By Nate Palmer
No. 3- 2012 Catchers
Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit
The 2012 Twins season was a rough one. Not 100 loss bad, but not far behind as the team finished with a record of 66-96. It at least got the Twins some good draft picks right? Well, those top draft picks haven’t quite emerged for the Twins yet either. 2012 did give us another good catching duo though!
It all starts with Joe Mauer. In 2012 Mauer hit .319/.416/.446 and added 10 home runs and 31 doubles. As has been pretty normal with Mauer over the years, his on-base percentage ranks towards the top of the league and it was the best in the American League in 2012. That led to Mauer’s fifth of six All-Star appearances to this point in his career.
Backing up Mauer that season and seeing some time at DH for the Twins was Ryan Doumit. After signing as a free agent with the Twins, Doumit was able to play in 134 games for the Twins and slashed .275/.320/.461, hit 18 home runs, and 34 doubles. By the end of Doumit’s time with the Twins many were glad to see him traded, but there is no doubt that he was a solid contributor in his first season with the Twins.
Doumit’s 2012 output gave him a 1.3 WAR on the season. Another solid contribution from a backup catcher for the Twins. Mauer came alongside Doumit with a 4.3 WAR which is the ninth best by a catcher in Twins history. To give you a little foreshadowing, that is only his 6th best WAR for his career! Combined, Mauer and Doumit, had a 5.6 WAR and finish third among all-time catching groups.